


Saving Ships

by heros_wings



Series: The Adventures of Pirate 7 [5]
Category: GOT7
Genre: AU, Angst, M/M, Pirates, jaebum wants to fight everyone, more wish fulfillment, sorry mark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 09:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6849481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heros_wings/pseuds/heros_wings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaebum wants to fight everyone, and Mark is really good at saving him. The story of how Mark and Jaebum met, the times Mark saved his life, and the day Mark decided to quit pirating for good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Fight me.”

Jaebum’s eyes bore into those of a pirate he had only ever heard stories of.

 "W-what?” he stammered back with a nervous laugh. 

Mark Tuan. Chinese name, Yi-en. 16-years-old, born in America, beautiful, and already the captain of a ship, had somehow turned up in Korea.

Jaebum heard stories of the Tuans while growing up on his Captain’s ship, but none fascinated him more than Mark.

At 11, he kidnapped a young boy from a rich slave owner. At 13 he dueled one of the British King’s best swordsmen and won. The ship he now captained had belonged to that man.

And Jaebum was going to fight him. To test the stories, but most importantly, to test himself. If he could defeat Mark Tuan in a duel—

“YAH!”

Mark had taken off at a sprint through the crowded market, his red coat a bright dot among the masses.

He tried to follow, but it was no use. Just as Mark ducked down a narrow street and Jaebum thought he had him, he turned the corner and Mark was gone.

 

It would be another three months before they met again.

 

“Fight me.”

Mark blinked at him. Smiled. Then took off at a run.

Jaebum was ready this time. He nearly had him. His hand stretched out to grab the back of Mark’s expensive jacket. Nothing.

Mark leapt onto a fruit stand, hauled himself onto the roof of the building, and took off again, with a backward grin at Jaebum.

Cursing, he returned to his ship.

Next time, he vowed, Mark would not be able to escape.

He did.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

 

Just after Jaebum's 17th birthday, they met again.

In the most unexpected place. Wearing the most unexpected clothing. 

“Why are you dressed as a courtesan?”

Mark’s mouth dropped open the moment he glided into the room, where Jaebum was seated, waiting for his captain to arrive with a merchant they were supposed to be cutting a deal with.

“What are _you_ doing in a courtesan house?”

“I asked first.”

A faint tinge of pink colored Mark’s cheeks as he looked away.

“It's called reconnaissance, ok?”

Jaebum raised an eyebrow, not quite believing it.

He let his eyes wander over Mark’s lithe form — dressed in bright purples and pinks, with his hair hidden under a convincing wig, done up like the other women who worked there.

When Mark glanced at him again and caught him staring, he flushed a deeper shade of pink.

“Now you answer my question.”

Jaebum shrugged, feigning indifference. Mark really was...quite beautiful...like that…

“Business.”

Jaebum smirked, suddenly understanding.

“You’re here to spy on the merchant meeting my captain.”

“I'm here spying on _every_ —” Mark cut himself off with a soft curse and turned to leave, but Jaebum stopped him again.

“Everyone?” he asked, now curious.

Mark looked back at him with a cool gaze, and Jaebum saw the pirate everyone talked about — the shrewd intelligence of a boy who grew up amongst one of the oldest, most famous family of pirates.

“Ask who knows the most about any man in Korea, and they'll tell you it's the _gisaeng_ ," he replied with a faint smirk.

Jaebum stared at him, quietly impressed by the brilliance of it. _Gisaeng_ houses were treasure troves of information, and the women in them probably knew enough to ruin even Kings. As entertainers often attached to the royal court, no man thought twice about what he said in front of a courtesan. It was foolish. Information could down a man quicker than a blade.

When he finally came back to himself, he said, “you do this often?”

Mark just grinned and disappeared through the door. He didn't return for the rest of the night, though every time the panels slid open, he felt a small jolt of anticipation, hoping he would see the bright purples and pinks of Mark's _hanbok_.

 

They met again a few weeks later in Hong Kong.

Only this time, Mark found him.

“Do you—” Mark gasped as he dragged Jaebum into an alley and behind a discarded rum barrel “—pick fights with everyone you meet?”

Jaebum leaned his head against the brick wall, his lip stinging where it had split. His left eye was starting to swell, making it hard to see, and he was pretty sure one of his ribs might have broken.

“Only ones I can win,” he replied with a grin, still trying to catch his breath.

Mark frowned at him. “You didn't.”

Groaning, Jaebum sat up a little straighter, earning a painful stab from his ribs. Yep. At least one broken.

“I got a shot in.”

“He’s not even going to bruise.”

“I didn't say it was a good one.”

Mark snorted in response.

They sat in the dirty alley, somewhere in a seedy part of Hong Kong, catching their breath, the adrenaline slowly wearing off. Which was unfortunate, because the aches from his fight were starting to roll over him in slow, painful waves.

He was shocked to see Mark when he and his young first mate, Yugyeom, showed up in the small city square, where Jaebum had unwisely challenged a guy twice his size and weight.

He probably barely felt the apple Mark chucked at his head, but it was like taunting a giant, raging bull, and the man had abandoned Jaebum to go after Mark instead. Mark, adept as he was at running away, managed to dodge around the brute, grab Jaebum, and sprint through the winding streets.

Jaebum barely had enough time to see Yugyeom grab the kid he had been helping, and take off in the other direction.

What did the kid say his name was again? Youngjae? Jaebum wondered if he and Yugyeom managed to escape.

Slowly, he turned his head to look at Mark. He was immediately met with a calm, gentle stare. How long had he been watching him?

“Why did you help me?” he asked.

Mark stared a little longer, before answering slowly, as if he wasn't quite sure himself.

“You...looked like you needed it.”

Jaebum’s lips twitched into a grin. “For a guy with so many stories, you sure do run a lot.”

Mark arched a finely trimmed eyebrow. “Stories?”

His ribs stabbed at him again when he chuckled.  

Wincing, he waited for the pain to dull before replying, “they say you're one of the best swordsmen between America and the East Sea. No one can beat you.”

Now it was time for Mark to laugh. Jaebum smiled a bit at the way his face brightened so boyishly.

“I mean...I'm ok, I guess, but…” he grinned, eyes still sparkling in amusement, “if you want the best...that's Jackson. No one has ever been a able to beat him.”

“Never heard of him.”

Mark shrugged, looking thoroughly unconcerned.

“I wouldn't expect you to. He's not really well known in Korea...he’s pretty famous in Hong Kong though. I'd say he's even more popular than the Emperor some days."

He grunted in response, not knowing what else to say.

"Is that why you've been chasing me everywhere?" Mark asked curiously.

Jaebum was maybe a little thankful for the black and blue bruises that hid the tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"What else have you heard about me?" Mark continued conversationally, as if they weren't still crouched in a dirty alley behind a rum barrel.

Jaebum stared at the opposite wall, heart a few beats too fast.

"You kidnapped someone when you were 11..." now that he said it, it sounded ridiculous. How could an 11-year-old, even a pirate—

"I didn't _kidnap_ Yugyeom, I paid for him," Mark said with a laugh, as though he had heard the story one-too-many times. "It was more of a rescue, really."

Jaebum let that sink in before tentatively: "What about your ship?"

Mark blinked. "What about it?"

He gaped at him. "You're _eighteen_."

An eyebrow arched in silent question.

"And you're a _captain_ ," he added, though he hardly felt it was necessary.

"Oh." Mark looked just as nonchalant about it as he had about everything else. "It was a gift for my 16th birthday...from my sister..."

Of course.

Because an entire ship plus a crew was a completely normal gift for a 16-year-old.

Jaebum shook his head and even managed to laugh.

"You are an odd pirate."

It was too dark for him to see the blush of pink across Mark's cheeks.

Jaebum never got his duel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. GOD. This chapter was so hard. Let me apologize forever for turning Markbum into something that isn't humor. I think I wrote and re-wrote the second half of this chapter like 5 times.

 

“...piracy, kidnapping, smuggling illicit literature, theft of a royal vessel, and treason,” one of the royal statesmen rattled off a scroll. 

Jaebum fought back a snort. Treason? Hardly. He had called the King an incompetent man-child who could no better run a children's school room than a country. Truth wasn't treason as far as he was concerned.

And his “theft of a royal vessel” had been the time he _borrowed_ a horse to escape a few pissed off thugs who lost their money in an ill-advised gambling match. How was he supposed to know the person he took it from was a royal servant?

The guy who was going to kick the stool from under Jaebum’s feet and hang him was standing to his right, with the look of a man who hung people the way most hung their laundry — bored, indifferent, just another day as the village executioner. Jaebum wondered if he had another job when he wasn't killing people.

“...you are hereby sentenced to death.”

“You know, in the West, they ask how you plead,” he said coolly.

His heart sped a few paces but he refused to let himself feel the fear threatening to bubble from his chest. This day was inevitable the moment he stepped on to his first ship. Most pirates didn't make it past 30. At least he could get in a few jabs before he died. Though even by pirate standards, he supposed 18 was a bit young.

The executioner’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. “This isn't the West, boy.”

He took a step forward and stopped.

Shrieks and the sound of thundering hooves forced both men to whip around.

“Sorry we’re late!” a cheerful voice said behind him just before the rope around his neck was cut.

He lifted the rope off his neck and spun.

Grinning at him was Yugyeom, who must have grown an entire foot since the last time Jaebum saw him.

Below, his and Mark’s crews were fending off guards trying to get onto the platform.

“Hyung!” another joyful shout came from the crowd.

His eyes widened as he twisted around again. Youngjae had clamored up onto the platform, all smiles as he and another of his crew held the executioner and the other man at the mercy of their swords.

He turned his eyes to the person galloping through the crowd. Commoners shrieked and dived out of the way. Soldiers chased behind the horse, and under a black tricorn hat, was a familiar beautiful face with a pointed toothed grin and platinum blond hair.

Jaebum was already on the edge of the platform waiting for him to slow. He grabbed a hold of the rider's outstretched arm and swung himself over the horse’s back.

“Aren't you supposed to be in Taipei?” he asked, wrapping his arms tightly around Mark’s waist.

Mark flashed a grin over his shoulder in response before looking ahead again as they galloped through the town.

“How is it,” Jaebum said, “that you always find me?”

The harbor came into view, and he saw the telltale white sails with the character for _Tuan_ splashed across them in red. It was a modest size. For a Tuan.

“How is it you’ve been a captain for a mere two months and have already gotten yourself arrested?” Mark replied with a smile.

Jaebum swung his leg over the saddle and dismounted next to him.

“Just lucky, I guess,” he replied.

He scanned the harbor for his ship and found it gone. He had no doubt that the royal guards seized it after his arrest, but it should still have been there...

“My crew sailed your ship out of the harbor,” Mark answered his unspoken question. “Don’t worry,” he smirked, “you’ll get it back.”

Jaebum snorted and lead the way to Mark’s ship without invitation. “Like you'd dare steal my ship.”

“I'm a Tuan,” came the simple reply, which Jaebum interpreted into, “I'd like to see you try and stop me.”

“What about our crews,” he asked as Mark left the horse tied to a post, where some passerby could easily find him.

“They’ll be here if they don't want to be left.”

 

It took less than an hour. 

Both crews — Mark’s and Jaebum’s — sprinted for the ship with soldiers and patrolmen chasing after them in vain.

Jaebum watched, relief flooding through him as he saw their men return, not one missing.

Yugyeom, beaming at them as he boarded the ship.

Youngjae, smiling brightly and holding out a small Siamese kitten.

He sneezed before handing her over to Jaebum with a cheerful, “She almost got stepped on by a soldier, but I saved her!”

Jaebum accepted the kitten without question, and Mark made no complaints about bringing a cat on his ship. Not that it would have mattered. Jaebum would have kept her anyway.

 

That night, they stood on the quarter deck and watched their men celebrate the rescue as they sailed out to sea, where they would meet Jaebum's ship in a day's time.

Mark was still dressed in riding leathers and the blond strands of his wig danced around his face whenever there was a breeze. He had tied a bandana around his head to keep his bangs out of his face, but they were so long, it didn't do much good.

It wasn't until Mark's eyes caught his, did he realize he was staring.

"What?" he grinned.

Jaebum quickly looked away and cleared his throat, instead, opting to watch as Yugyeom showed off his impressive footwork at dance while their men catcalled and cheered.

"Nothing."

Mark appeared in front of him, still grinning.

"Tell me."

Jaebum turned his back on him.

"You want to thank me?" Mark joked, appearing in front of him again, eyes bright with laughter.

There was a nervous flutter in his chest he'd rather not think about too deeply. So he spun around again.

Mark caught him around the shoulders and forced him around so they were facing each other.

"I only saved your life...again," he continued to tease. "What is this? The second time?"

Fourth.

But who was counting. Certainly not Jaebum.

After the night he met Youngjae, Mark helped him out two more times. Once after he scammed a gang of thugs during a gambling match. The other time, right after his Captain's death. Though he doubted Mark would count throwing his support behind Jaebum as saving his life.

For him, it meant everything. Not many of his men were keen on the idea of being lead by a hot-tempered teenager with a reputation for picking fights he had a habit of losing. Even if it had been their Captain's will. He had feared a mutiny, until Mark walked onto his ship while they were docked, and greeted him as an old friend. Friendship with a Tuan meant protection. It meant power and prestige. His men never questioned him after that.

"You look ridiculous as a blond," he lied.

Mark's grin widened. He stepped back and took the wig off, tossing it aside, and running his hands through his black hair.

A lump caught in his throat, and he found it suddenly hard to breathe.

"Better?"

He turned again, this time making his swift way down the stairs and towards the room he knew was his for the night.

"Next time, don't wait until I have a noose around my neck."

"I'll just let them hang you, then, shall I?" Mark called after him.

Without looking back, Jaebum just lifted his hand in a little wave as he descended the stairs. 

They both knew Mark would save his life a thousand times, and more, if he had to.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaebum stared at Mark from across the table. He was sure he heard wrong.

There had been rumors for weeks. Every port he sailed to, he heard the whispers: Mark Tuan had given up pirating for a small, western-style pub in Yeosu.

Even now, seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe it.

Mark, dressed in a modest blue tunic and tan pants, his usual wild hair, pulled into a half ponytail, his skin paler than the last time they met.

Something tugged unpleasantly at his heart. He felt hurt. Betrayed. Like Mark wasn't only leaving the sea, but him.

"You're _nineteen_ ," he said incredulously, "how can you 'retire' from pirating?"

Mark smiled, like he was sorry for something only he knew about.

"You're a _Tuan_ ," Jaebum added, as if that were enough reason.

The oldest son from one of the most famous family of pirates didn't simply _retire_.

Surely it was a mistake. The role of barman was just another one of Mark's disguises. A way to gather information. Like the time Jaebum found him in the courtesan house, he was just pretending.

"I got bored." Mark shrugged.

"Bored," Jaebum repeated breathlessly. The words sucked the air from his lungs.

"What about your ship?" he asked, because he still didn't understand. "And Yugyeom? And your crew?" _What about me?_ he added silently.

"Yugyeom is helping me with the bar, and my sister took my ship and crew under her fleet," he answered, unconcernedly. "I think my cousin is the captain now."

There was no hint of emotion. No sense of loss or indication that any of it mattered. Mark was talking about giving up the only life knew as if he was simply shedding away some unnecessary bit of clothing. Getting rid of cargo he no longer needed. And Jaebum was part of that.

They stared at each other across the dingy table. Mark's cool gaze never wavered, but there was an unfamiliar glint of defiance. Like Mark was daring him to protest.

"So that's it," he finally said, his carefully held temper finally starting to flare. "You're just going to live the rest of your life selling _soju_ to a bunch of pirates and fishermen? _Because you're fucking bored_?" He didn't know when he stood, or when his voice had risen to a shout, but the few patrons in the pub were all staring at him.

Mark looked up, unfazed. Jaebum wanted to punch him. To bruise that stupid, pretty face.

"And what exactly do _you_ plan on doing your entire fucking life, Jaebum?" he shot back, furiously.

Jaebum stared, eyes wide, as if Mark had physically struck him.

"Or did you forget you were almost _hanged_ a few months ago?"

The words pierced through him. Mark's usual cool gaze changed into something so raw and vulnerable, that the pirate Jaebum had known for years was almost unrecognizable. It shook him in a way that made him want to run.

Instead he lashed out. Let his temper take over. Because it was the only way not to feel the tightening in his chest. The panic. The irrational fear he had no explanation for.

"I'm still alive aren't I?"

"And what's going to happen when I'm not there to save your ass?" Mark spat.

His lips twisted into a grimace.  "Like I ever asked you to."

He kicked his chair under the table, turned, and left.

He knew Mark wouldn't chase after him, but he could feel his eyes burning into his back as he left.

"Jaebum?" Youngjae was outside waiting for him, his expression open and worried.

"We're leaving. Now."

"But—" he glanced back at the pub for only a second "o—okay."

 

That night, his ship already sailing towards the furthest port away from Mark that his supplies would take him, Jaebum sat up in the crow's nest. His lookout that night had been hesitant at first — Captains didn't usually take up duty in the nest — but quickly obliged after hearing the threat in Jaebum's voice.

He rested his head on the post and stared up at the sky. The stars were hidden that night by the clouds. He felt a well of frustration build up inside him. Not even the fucking _stars_ wanted to see him. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, but it did nothing to help the burning behind his eyes.

He took a deep, shaking breath, willing his mind to think about anything except the man he left on shore. Had Mark really meant so much to him?

" _Hyung_?"

Youngjae's soft voice seemed to break something inside him. The first, warm tear rolled down his cheek. He furiously wiped it away, but more followed.

He let out a frustrated sigh, angry at himself.

Youngjae settled next to him, offering nothing but silence. Jaebum was thankful for it.

They sat, staring up at the starless sky, the night quiet and still except for the wind hitting the sails.

Jaebum let his eyes drift shut, and his head to lean on Youngjae's shoulder.

He gave a little start. " _Hyung_ —"

"Just let me rest for a second," he muttered, suddenly tired.

The tears wouldn't stop, but he had no energy to wipe them.

Careful not to dislodge him, Youngjae settled into a more comfortable position.

"Don't fall asleep."

Jaebum replied with a soft hum.

"I'll leave you up here."

Another hum.

"I'm serious!"

He smiled at the indignant whine in Youngjae's voice.

"Ok."

He would never be able to find the words to tell his first mate just how much his presence meant in that moment. It steadied him. Quieted his mind. He was, for that night, the only thing keeping Jaebum from breaking.

And despite Youngjae's threats, he slept.


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to add an Epilogue so the next story has a little more context :)

"I fucking hate you," Jaebum growled, glaring across the bar at the ex-pirate.

Mark grinned and slid his drink towards him. "So you'll do it?"

It had been six months in Mark's "retirement" and even though Jaebum swore he would never step foot into the bar again, he had been there no less than five times since he stormed out the first night.

It still hurt sometimes. But he learned to accept it. Mark still had that ethereal beauty that defied his upbringing, and the pale skin from being inside rather than out at sea had simply given him the extra, delicate air of being raised in a palace rather than a ship. Jaebum still found himself staring. Still felt that stir of want. That tug.

"I thought you _retired_."

"I _did_ , but you know..." He shrugged. "I hear things."

Jaebum grumbled under his breath, but refrained from replying. He and Mark both knew he was going to give in eventually. He just wanted to at least give the _perception_ that he wouldn't give Mark absolutely anything.

Especially when "anything" meant accepting Jackson Wang into his crew.

"What idiot loses his ship in a gambling match," he muttered.

Mark shrugged again. "What idiot cheats a mob boss in his own gambling house?"

Jaebum glared at him. "That was _one time_."

And that was how Jaebum ended up with Jackson Wang — best dueler in the East Sea and one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.


End file.
